Today in White Sox History: August 13

1933

The White Sox lost in 17 innings, 6-5, against Detroit. The loss is notable in that it remains tied for the 15th-longest game in White Sox history. However, it also saw the end of eight consecutive hits and 10 consecutive trips on base for journeyman second baseman Hal Rhyne.

Rhyne’s streak had started two games earlier, when he replaced Jackie Hayes and singled twice finishing out a 2-0 win over the Tigers. The next game, Rhyne went 4-for-4 with four singles in an 11-2 win over the Tigers. In this third game, Rhyne singled in the second and fourth innings before finally failing to get a hit — however, in the sixth, his fielder’s choice grounder still got him safely on base. In the eighth, Rhyne got on base again, with a bunt single. Only in leading off the 10th inning of this third game did Rhyne finally fail to get on base, by tapping back out to the pitcher; Rhyne in fact would not get a hit at all in extras, making the final out of the game, ending the 17th.

A combination of his sparse play and those uncanny, eight straight hits saw Rhyne’s batting average raise 110 points over the three games, from .265 to .375 (in fact, in-game during this 17-inning marathon, Rhyne’s batting average got as high as .405).

The second sacker would play in just 15 more games after this one for the White Sox, and those would also be his final 15 MLB games; Rhyne was dealt to the San Francisco Seals of the International League after the 1933 season and would never see the majors again. However, he would play in the minors until 1940, when he was 41 years old.

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1943

White Sox shortstop Luke Appling collected his 2,000th hit. It came against the Red Sox, helping the White Sox to a 3-2 win. The hit drove in a run in the first inning, off of Cecil “Tex” Hughson, as Wally Moses scored.

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1954

White Sox pitcher Jack Harshman, who is tied for the franchise mark for most strikeouts in a game, notched another milestone. On this date against the Tigers, Harshman pitched all 16 innings in a 1-0 win at Comiskey Park.

The Sox finally plated a run in the last of the 16th, on a triple by Minnie Miñoso scoring Nellie Fox.

Harshman allowed nine hits and seven walks, facing a total of 65 hitters. Incredibly, Detroit’s Al Aber also went the distance in the contest! Harshman’s effort ties him for the sixth-longest pitching appearance in White Sox history.

The franchise mark is held by Ted Lyons who threw 21 innings in a game in 1929.

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1967

All season long the White Sox battled the big boys — the Tigers, Twins and Red Sox — in the greatest pennant race in American League history. But for the White Sox, this game marked the beginning of the end of the dream.

The Sox lost a controversial game to the Twins, 3-2, when Tommie Agee doubled to center to lead off the ninth inning but was called out at third on a close play when he tried to stretch it into a triple. The Sox dropped out of first place for the first time in two months, as the Twins swept them in the series and moved atop the American League standings.

Afterwards, manager Eddie Stanky kept Vice President Hubert Humphrey waiting outside the Sox locker room, along with reporters. Stanky later said, ”What do I need Humphrey for? Can he hit?”

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1996

Robin Ventura clubbed his team-record ninth grand slam, leading the White Sox to an 8-4 victory over the Yankees. It came in the fifth inning off of David Weathers, and erased a 4-1 New York lead.

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2002

White Sox infielder José Valentín homered from both sides of the plate in the same game. It was the fifth time in White Sox history this feat had occurred. Valentín did it in Texas off of Rangers hurlers Dennys Reyes and Todd Van Poppel, and the shot off of Reyes was a grand slam.

Valentín drove in six runs in the 12-3 win, with the home runs being his only two hits. He first did this trick in 2000, and would do it a third time in 2003!

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